Day 3 in Detail

7am brought sleepy, but excited students to one last breakfast in Beit Shean before boarding the buses and heading South. Passing through the Jordan Valley and along the border fence between Israel and Jordan, we once again got to see the Jordan River and Mountain range from the Great Rift Valley. Moving parallel to the Judean desert with the Judean hills to the west of us, we discussed the Israeli effort to push the desert back through agricultural techniques using water as efficiently as possible.

Herds of goats slowed down crossing the street as we paused our bus for them to pass. We played trivia games on the bus, and continued on to pass Jericho on our right, the first city captured by the Jewish people under Joshua. Parallel to Jericho to the west and on top of the mountains, we passed Jerusalem. We drove through a landscape reminiscent of a combination of the old west and the moon! The sky was a clear blue for our upcoming hike and swim.

Getting a glimpse of the Dead Sea, starting where it meets the Jordan River, we learned about the harsh weather and exported cosmetic goods. The kibbutzim we passed, below the Great River Valley fracture zone, held thousands of caves overlooking some of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. We learned of the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in one of the caves.

Our climb up Masada included a view previously held by armored Romans as they camped at the side and moved up the bottom of the mountain. The climb was strenuous and difficult, including dusty rocky and sometimes narrow paths with steep drops. The views alone were enough to take your breath away.

At the top of the mountain, we saw no margarita bars, but the breeze kept us cool as we sat for a lesson on King Herod and Masada itself through 3-D models and ruins we learned of the beautiful palace he had built, and the architecture and amenities as well as the fall of Masada and the heroic last stand of the Jews before heading back down the snake path.

Then, on the bus a presentation before the Dead Sea was a warming of the crazy water and its properties. At the beach, we received bags of mud to use (what a photo opp), and the opportunity to float in this 30% salt water sea. Dinner after was at a Bedouin tent preceded by tea and coffee and a lesson about their culture and lifestyle with a family style meal followed by a ride to our camel ranch tent and a guided night walk in the ruins of the Nadeten city of Mamshit.

We reflected on the day and wound down by a camp fire singing songs before settling in for the night. Just another day with taglit, we hope you are enjoying our adventure.

-Joey Slotnick ’08 and Ronnie Shapiro ‘10